10 Times Filmmakers Ruined Great Movie Ideas

In the cinema world, there’s a term called high concept. It means that a movie has such a strong idea that it literally makes people buy tickets no matter how great its ratings and ads are. But not all these films actually meet our expectations.

Bright Side has collected 10 films with incredible ideas that were ruined by screenwriters. These movies could have become masterpieces but unfortunately got the Golden Raspberry Awards (a mock award in recognition of the worst in film.)

Downsizing was projected to be a sci-fi masterpiece.

What we expected: A good sci-fi movie about an unusual solution for human overpopulation. The film is about a body shrinking technology. Everyone who decides to get smaller receives a great sum of money and a big house in a tiny megalopolis. The main character and his wife weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision to become small. When the man wakes up after the procedure, he realizes that his wife has changed her mind...

What we got: At first, the movie is as great as its trailer. But then, it looks as if filmmakers were replaced or they created an interesting beginning and failed to develop their middle and ending. The second part of the film looks as if ordinary people were allowed to create the plot and make characters do silly things just to have fun.

It could have been a really strong movie. It could tell the story of a small human and his big tragedy or a severe dystopia. But we get a picture that can’t be placed in any frames and even Christoph Waltz playing the hilarious neighbor can’t save the situation.

In Time was planned to be the greatest dystopia of the modern world.

What we expected: A dystopia about the future where time replaces money as currency. At the age of 25, a human stops aging, and each person has a clock on their arm that counts down how long they have to live. If people don’t replenish, earn, steal, or lend time, they die.

By the way, the film was created by the person who wrote and co-produced The Truman Show and who wrote and directed Gattaca. Sounds really promising, right?

What we got: “4 minutes for a cup of coffee? Yesterday it was 3!” It’s the moment when the whole idea of the world is depicted, everything’s great. But unfortunately, we don’t get any further information on how this world actually plays out. We can’t understand what people do before they turn 25. Why don’t they save their time? Why can people steal time? Why does no one protect it? Thanks to these crucial questions that have no answers, we don’t want to know how this movie ends and what happens to the main characters.

Suicide Squad was planned to be cooler than the whole Marvel team.

What we expected: A great box office hit from the DC Universe — villains that have been doomed to death save the world. Here we have high concept at its best!

What we got: Too many characters we almost don’t know anything about, no plot twists and turns, no psychological impact (like in Nolan’s Batman Begins.) So, we can’t empathize with characters and even have to ask ourselves, “Why are they here?” For example, Captain Boomerang doesn’t influence the plot development at all.

Awake was planned to shock its audience.

What we expected: Each year more than 21 million people undergo general anesthesia. Most of them fall asleep and don’t remember anything. But 30,000 people aren’t as lucky: they experience awareness during anesthesia, a condition when anesthesia fails during surgery, leaving one completely conscious and feeling every incision, but paralyzed and incapable of doing anything about it. This is what happens to the main character. Do you also get goosebumps after reading this?

What we got: Anaively tender film about a billionaire who has heart issues. In the middle of the movie, there’s a 3-minute-long scene depicting that he is anesthetically aware and that’s it. Then we see his girlfriend become the main character and the plot turn into a melodrama. All in all, the idea and the plot remain unclear and implausible.

The Dark Tower universe was planned to be as great as Game of Thrones.

What we expected: A sci-fi western based on Stephen King’s books that would be as good as The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

What we got: The next day after the premiere mass media published a lot of reviews titled “They forgot to show one half of the film, but it’s for the best, at least it was over quickly.” Do you know any modern blockbusters that only last 90 minutes? The movie failed to depict King’s incredible world, and illustrated only basic facts. Additionally, the main part of the film is depicted in the last 30 minutes but the ending explains nothing: we still don’t know what the root of the evil is, what the tower stands for, and so on.

Allied was planned to be as vivid as Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

What we expected: A beautiful spy drama, that is a mix of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Casablanca. The main heroes are secret agents. They meet during a mission, fall in love, get married, and start a new life. But the husband finds out that his wife isn’t the person she claims to be. He then has 72 hours to prove she’s guilty and kill her.

By the way, the film was directed by the same person asBack to the Future, Cast Away, and Forrest Gump.

What we got: Filmmakers were nominated for the Oscar for the best costume designs. The costumes, as well as Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard playing the main characters, were really great. But the film turned into a ridiculous melodrama with lots of plot flaws, illogical actions, and pretentious scenes. Critics think that the audience wasn’t supposed to feel anything but compassion and wouldn’t think about things like logic.

Jupiter Ascending was planned to be a good mix of The Matrix and Star Wars.

What we expected: A great space fantasy dreamed up by the creators of The Matrix. People weren’t born on Earth, they live on different planets for the purpose of later “harvesting” to be used as a raw material for the more privileged representatives of alien races. The main hero, a housekeeper, finds out that her DNA matches the DNA of a queen who rules half the universe.

Here’s a bonus: There are famous actors like Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Eddie Redmayne.

What we got: A cosmic version of Twilight. Eddie Redmayne got the Golden Raspberry, and The Wachowskis, its creators, were nominated for the worst film. Many people think that the problem is connected with the changes in directors’ perception of the world after their sex reassignment. But the problem is most likely that the authors paid too much attention to the idea and the whole universe, but failed to link these details. All in all, we can see many mixed bright details that leave us completely puzzled.

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was planned to be a vivid film by DC.

What we expected: A sudden enmity and a fight between Superman and Batman will really make you want to go and buy a ticket to watch this movie in the cinema even if you don’t know anything about the DC and Marvel universes. What’s more, when we see that it was directed by Christopher Nolan, we have no more doubts regarding the quality of the film.

What we got: A Batman who hates Superman for no apparent reason, and a boring Superman, an ordinary struggle, an unclear link between storylines, and character actions that are completely illogical. In this film, the only bright hero is Superwoman.

Ocean’s Eight was planned to be a continuation of the witty franchise.

What we expected: The continuation of a great film created by Steven Soderbergh. Following her release from prison, Ocean’s sister assembles a team made up of cool swindlers. They have to steal a necklace from the Met Gala.

What we got: A female version of an awesome criminal franchise full of stereotypes, famous actresses in extremely caricatured images, completely unmotivated characters, a pile of useless scenes, and too many girly things. If the film wasn’t considered to be a spin-off from Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, it would probably have been way better.

The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded were planned to make a film revolution.

What we expected: A continuation of the science fiction action film where a white collar guy finds out our world is an illusion and people are just a source of energy for the Artificial Intelligence. But there’s a chance to change everything.

The whole world has been waiting for the continuation for 4 years and finally, here we go! It’s time to enjoy 2 premieres: The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded.

What we got: 2 films parasitizing on the first movie. In these films, which resemble usual action movies, the main idea isn’t clear at all. The endings are boring too: surviving humans can’t defeat machines and both parties reach a compromise: people are happy to be alive and the AI continues to consume the energy of the matrix prisoners. Here’s a question: what has changed then?

Legend says that the Wachowski brothers (they were brothers then) wanted Zion to turn out to be a part of the matrix. Sounds cruel. Yes, it is cruel, but it’s great. But film producers couldn’t agree with the brothers and made them change the ending to attain box office success.

Can you remember any other films that didn’t meet your expectations and ruined a brilliant idea?